Officials see heroin increases, prescription drug decrease

Ken Mills compares law enforcement's battle on illegal drugs to a similar tussle with another social and legal problem.

"With drunk driving, law enforcement has made a commitment in enforcing and making arrests," said Mills, a Detective Lieutenant with the Michigan State Police and director of Straits Area Narcotics Enforcement. "They're making an impact, but it never truly goes away.

"We'd obviously like to drive the (drug abuse) numbers down, but people have an addiction, so there's a demand for it. If they feel there's a way to make money, they're going to do it."

Mills, as well as other area law enforcement, are certainly not giving up the fight, but rather just using multi-profession cooperation and tips to quickly address budding drug issues -- no matter what type.

Although the detailed numbers for 2012 -- including arrests, street value of drugs confiscated and other key measurables -- are not yet available, officials in Emmet and Charlevoix counties agree efforts have made an effect on prescription drug abuse while also waging more pitched battles against heroin and methamphetamine increases.

"Generally, I think the number of drug cases we've been investigating have been pretty consistent over the last four or five years," explained John Calabrese, director of Petoskey's Public Safety Department. "We're not seeing a huge spike in cases, what we see changing is the type of drugs that we are dealing with."

"There has been a huge increase in heroin," admitted Chuck Vondra, undersheriff for Charlevoix County. "But the illicit use of prescription drugs has decreased. The decrease in one is matched almost by the increase in the other and that comes down to availability. A lot of prescription drugs that were in demand were opiates, and heroin is obviously an opiate."

Vondra pointed to a recent bust in Charlevoix Township, arresting what he called "probably the largest (heroin) supplier in the area" among five people on Jan. 3-4. The search warrant helped net 15 grams of the drug, selling for a reported $100-$150 for two-tenths of a gram.

The bust is significant, obviously removing a key supplier locally and a strong step in the local battle against drug use.

Action such as that is just part of the stepped-up battle against drug use, obvious especially when it comes to illegal use of prescription medications.

"Everyone has become more involved when it comes to prescription drugs," Vondra said. "Doctors and pharmacists are looking out and more vigilant. Families are too keeping an eye on their prescriptions."

"The biggest thing has been awareness and cooperation, that means a lot of things," he added. "You talk to the law enforcement in Boyne City, East Jordan and Charlevoix -- we've all made a greater effort to work together. That comes back to four years ago when our sheriff called drug use in the county an epidemic, so you have to treat it as such."

Mills has seen similar efforts in the seven-county area -- straddling the Straits of Mackinac -- where SANE works with law enforcement. He points to details such as the commitment of a deputy in the Emmet County Sheriff's Department to enforce prescription drug laws, as well as communication from area health care professionals as collectively contributing to the success.

"I haven't been able to total the numbers from last year, but it has made an impact," he said.

"I think the community has done a pretty good job of working together to try to deal with that," said Calabrese. "That was and remains a major problem for this part of the state, but I think we're making some good progress as far as keeping some of these prescription drugs out of the hands of people that shouldn't have them. A lot of that has to do with the programs we've instituted here in northern Michigan, the prescription drug take-back events, the collection sites that are all over ... we've really seen a lot of response from the community. People are bringing that to us so we can dispose of it properly. They're not falling into the hands of people that would abuse them."

Drawing more of the regional headlines however, has been methamphetamine. When asked about the example of the arrest of Walter Demaray, arrested in mid-November 2012 and charged with manufacturing methamphetamine in an Emmet Street residence's garage, he attributes the increase to an urban drug problem spreading north.

"What we're finding is maybe someone from the area learns how to manufacture someplace else and then comes back to the area," Mills said. "(Regional law enforcement are) making inroads in Petoskey. We've had the opportunity to infiltrate a few of these groups, build a case and make arrests."

That goes in cycles, noting that SANE participated in approximately four busts in December and perhaps one in November. He said a recent bust in Cheboygan County quickly stopped a "One Pot" operation that recently popped up.

Busts such as that can certainly be perceived as a cause for local concern. Mills instead emphasizes a recent string of arrests will have an effect not yet felt.

"Not that long ago, crack was an issue in the Gaylord area," said the 10-year veteran of SANE. "We were able to infiltrate, make arrests and now we don't see that kind of an issue. Hopefully, that's an impact we have for a while.

"I think within the next year, we'll see the impact of those (methamphetamine) arrests in Petoskey," he added. "When something like this gets into Northern Michigan and rural areas, then you make arrests and the impact is felt."